Gravity conveyer



C. H. LISTER- GRAVITY CONVEYER.

APPLICATION FILED MR, 4. 1920.

Patented Aug. 15, 1922.

w T3 h 3w an N w .m .u m. Q N Ill 1? u a UNHTED STATES PATENT OFFH'.

CHARLES H. LISTER. OF NORTH ST. PAUL. MINNESOTA. ASSIGNOR TO STANDARD CONVEYOR COMPANY. A CORPORATION OF IVIINNESOTA.

GRAVITY CONVEYER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

laitciutcd Aug. 15, 1922.

Application filed March 4, 1920. Serial No. 363,172.

'1 'u (111 whom it may concrwt:

Be it known that l, (nannies ll. lns'rnn. a citizen of the United States. residing at North St. Paul. in the county of Ramsey and State of Minnesota. have invented new and useful Improvements in Gravity Conveyers. of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in gravity conveyers.

As is well known, the inclination of gravity conveyers adapted to transport light ob jects is greater than that required for heavy objects, and if the same conveyer is used for miscellaneous packages of substantially dissimilar weights collisions between them are likely to occur. It is also known that at the junction between the lower end of a gravity carrier and the base of an inclined elevator a congestion of packages passing from the conveyer to the elevator, is likely to occur.

The object of my invention is to provide simple and efiicient means for maintaining a proper interval between articles passing over a gravity conveyer.

It is particularly, though not exclusively. adapted for use on the delivery'end of shch conveyers when used in conjunction with inclined elevators, as well as at intermediate points in coni-eyersystems. which are used for transporting packages of varying weights and frictional surface, to prevent congestion of and collision between articles transported.

A further object of my invention is to furnish an automatic brake, that will prevent articles, which are transported over a gravity conveyer, from acquiring excessive speed when a number of such articles are on the conveyer at one time, and to cause such articles to be delivered at a uniform rate, thereby minimizing possible injury to goods and delays due to jamming.

My invention consists generally in inserting in a gravity conveyer of any usual type a hinged member or section free to tilt under a load, and a brake lever actuated by said tilting section and provided with a brake shoe adapted to engage and hold certain rollers on a stationary section when the hinged section is tilted by the weight of an ob'ect passing over such hinged section.

11 the drawings Figure 1 is a side elavation of a section of a gravity conveyer containing one of my improved brakes, with one of the side braces removed and the portion of the side. rail at the near end of the brake rollers broken away; and Fig. 2 is a bottom 'view of the same with a portion of the brake shoe support. together with one brake shoe, broken away.

Referring to the drawings, l have used the letter A to indicate the side rails of a conveyer of common type. The braces B rigidly unite two end portions of this conveyer, and a hinged member is tiltably supported to bridge the gap between the rollers of these end portions of the conveyer, while the brake lever l) is pivotally mounted beneath the frame of one of the end portions of the conveyer. The hinged member C. in the embodiment of my invention which I have illustrated, consists of a short section of conveyer hinged at one end to the conveyer frame and supported at the other end by the brake lever D.

The underside of the member (l has pro jections 1 to which are riveted in suitable manner upwardly extending ears 2. Pintles 4 pivotally unite the ears 2 with hinge plates 3, said hinge plates being rigidly fastened to the stationary side rails A, thus forming a hinge support at the left end (as viewed in the drawings) of the member C. Near the opposite end of said member C is the cross brace 5, rigidly uniting the side rails,

through which brace an adjusting screw 6 passes to form, in conjunction with an upward extending end 7 of the brake lever D, a support for theright hand end (Figs. 1 and 2) of the member (.7. The end 7 of the brake lever D is formed with flanges 8 which prevent transverse tilting motion of the right hand end of said member C.

The brake lever D has a fulcrum near its middle point consisting of a pin 9 which passes through said lever. The ends of said pin 9 are held in suitable manner in the downwardly projecting ears 10 and plates 11 said plates being riveted to the under side of an L shaped transverse member 12 of the stationary portion of the conveyer. The left (as seen in drawings) end 13 of the brake lever D is adapted to receive counterweights 14. Said counterweights 14 are suspended, one on either side of the lever D, by means of a U-shaped strap 15, and may be clamped at any desired pointon said lever by a bolt 16, which is provided with a nut 17. The bolt 16 passes through a drilled hole in the center of the weights 14 and strap 15 and under the brake lever I).

A brake shoe support 18 is tiltably joined at its middle point, by means of a pm 20, to an upwardly projecting ear 19 on the brake lever D. This ear 19 is positioned between two similar but upwardly projecting ears 2], in which the ends of the pin 20 are suitably fastened. The brake shoe support 18 has a plurality of brake shoes 22, mounted on its upper surface. Said brake shoes 22 are so positioned on their support 18 that transverse members 23, which join the side rails A of the conveyer, pass between said brake shoes and the upper surfaces of said shoes are convex and preferably corrugated.

The brake rollers 24 are journaled in the usual manner between the side rails A of the conveyer, and preferably have corrugated peripheries in order to better retard the motion of packages and to mesh with the corrugated surfaces of the brake shoes 22. It is understood, however, that knurling or otherwise roughening the contacting surfaces of the rollers and brake-shoes would be the equivalent of the corrugated surfaces illustrated in the drawings.

stop, in the form of a strap 25, riveted to the side rails A and passing under the brake lever D near the counterweights 14, prevents-the right hand end (as viewed in drawings) of the hinged section C from being raised by the counterweights 14 above the position in Fig. 1.

In operation, (assuming that the counterweights 14 and adjusting screw 6 are set for the articular service required of the conveyeri articles passing over the conveyer in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1, when.

they reach the hinged member C, will depress said member to alinement with the rigid portions of the conveyer. This depression of the hinged section tilts the lever D and causes the corrugated surfaces of the brake shoes 22 to engage the corrugated rollers 24. Thus, when a number of articles pass over the conveyer in proximity to each other, the first one of said articles to arrive on the hinged section G will depress said section together with the right hand end (as illustrated) of the brake lever D. This will press the brake shoes 22 against the corrugated rollers 24, preventing their further rotation, and any packages or articles that have arrived on said corrugated rollers will be effectually brought to rest until the article on the hinged member C has passed on to the rigid portion of the conveyer. \Vhen this has occurred the member C will rise under the action of the counterweights' said rollers v to revolve, and another article will move by the action of gravity to the hinged member (7. Said mcmbervtl will again be depressed and the action of the brake will be repeated, delivering articles singly to the rest of the conveyer system.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is;

1. In a gravity conveyer a frame, a hinged member, rollers journaled in. said frame and member, a lever tiltably supported on the frame and adapted to be actuated by the tilting of said hinged member and means arranged on said lever to engage certain of the rollers in said frame.

2. In a gravity conveyer a frame, a hinged member, corrugated rollers journaled in said frame, a lever tiltably supported on the frame and adapted to be actuated by the tilting of said hinged member and corrugated brake shoes on the lever adapted to engage said corrugated rollers in said frame.

3. In a gravity conveyer a frame, ahinged section mounted to bridge two stationary portions of the conveyer, rollers journaled in said frame and section. a lever supported beneath the frame, provided with a counterweight at one end and adapted to support said hinged section at the other end, and means arranged on said lever to engage certain of the rollers in said frame.

' 4. In a gravity conveyer a frame, a hinged member, rollers journaled in said frame and member, a lever pivoted on the frame and adapted to be actuated by the tilting of said hinged member, means mounted on said frame and section, a lever pivotally sup-- ported beneath said frame and adapted to support said hinged section, and means arranged on said lever to engage certain of the rollers in said frame.

6. In a gravity conveyer, a stationary frame having a plurality of rollers mounted therein, a section of rollers tiltably supported in continuation of said frame, a lever tiltably supported beneath the frame and adapted to be actuated by said tilting section of rollers, a support for a plurality of brake shoes mounted on said lever beneath the rollers in said stationary frame and brake shoes arranged on said support to engage certain of the rollers in said stationary frame when said lever is actuated by said tilt-in section.

n a gravity conveyer, a stationary frame having a plurality of rollers mounted therein, a hinged section of rollers tiltably supported at one end on said frame, a lever tiltably supported on the frame and adapted to be actuated by the tilting of said hinged section of rollers, a support for a plurality of brake shoes pivotally mounted on said lever beneath the rollers in said stationary frame and brake shoes arranged on said support-'to engage certain of the rollers in said stationary frame when said lever is actuated 10 by said hinged section of rollers.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name to this specification.

CHARLES H. LISTER. 

